Timing mechanism.



B. C. BATGHELLER.

TIMING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED P315226, 1912.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTOR BY (it,

if ATTORNEY WITNESSES 0 9% a B. O. BATGHELLER.

TIMING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1912.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 i ATTQRNEY B. G. BATCHELLER.

TIMING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1912.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

FILE 4- INVENTOR i; A TTORNEY WITNESSES B. G. BATGHELLER.

TIMING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, 1912.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

l INVEN' TOR BY L4 14 A TTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IBIRLNEY C. BATCHELLER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y

TIMING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17, 1914.

Original application filed July 23, 1909, Serial No. 509,144. Divided and this application filed February 26,

19-12. Serial No. 679,969.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BIRNEY C. BATCH- ELLER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in New York, in the borough of Brooklyn and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Timing Mechanism,of which the following is a true and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

My present invention relates to timing devices particularly adapted for use in pneumatic despatch tube systems.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, effective and reliable timing mechanism peculiarly adapted for, but not necessarily limited to, use in controlling a motor employed for supplying air to the transit tubing of a pneumatic despatch tube system, in such manner as to insure the operation of the motor for a definite time interval after the insertion of a carrier into the transit'tubing. 4

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a partof this specification. For a better understanding of the invention however and the advantages. possessed by it, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and description in which I have illustrated and described forms in which the invention may be embodied.

Of the drawings: Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the use of one form of my invention in a transit tube system. Fig. 2 is an elevation of a contact mechanism employed. Fig. 2 is a partially inverted sectional plan taken on the line 2 -2 of Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a plan of the timing mechanism proper of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3 and Figs. 5 and 6 are diagrams, each illustrating a diiferent modification of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1.

Referring first to the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, A and A represent two of the generally similar sections of the transit tubing of a pneumatic despatch tube system. Each of the sections A and A has carrier admission and discharge provisions at its opposite ends. The admission provisions A for both sections and the discharge provisions A of section A only are shown in the drawings. In the system shown the carriers are transmitted by compressed air supplied to the section A from the air compressor or pump B through the pipe A. From section A, air for moving the carriers in section A is passed to the latter section through the pipe A It will of course be understood that the pneumatic despatch tube system supplied with air by the pump B may include more sections of transit tubing than the tube sections A and A shown.

The pump B is driven by an electric motor C, receiving current under conditions hereinafter explained from the supply conductors 1 and 2. The supply of current to the motor C is controlled to properly start and stop the motor by a rheostat controller D, controlled in turn by a switch E, the opening and closing of which is controlled by the novel timing device G which I will now describe.

The device G includes a casing G having a removable top G and inclosing gearing connecting the electric motor H wit-h a clutch mechanism hereinafter described. In

, the form shown in Fig. 1 the motor H is in constant rotation. The motor H is mounted on a. bracket G projecting from the front of the casing G and shown in Fig. 4 The shaft H of the motor projects into the casing G and carries a worm H meshing with and driving a gear Gf secured to a shaft G The shaft G carries a worm gear Gr meshing with and driving a gear I carried by a shaft I which extends parallel to the motor shaft H and projects through, and is journaled in the front wall of the casing G Without the casing G the shaft I carries a disk I having an annular groove receiving an annular bearing member I*. Beyond the diskI on an extension I of the shaft I are loosely mounted a member J having a disk like body portion, a disk like armature K, and a spring pressed follower sleeve If. The follower sleeve I is at all times pressed against the armature K by a spring 1 the outer end of which 'bears against nuts I adjustably threaded on the shaft extension 1.

To brackets G9 and G projecting from the'casing G is secured the shell K of an ironclad electromagnet, the shell K being provided with an annular cavity K surrounding the shaft extension I Within the cavity K is placed a magnet winding K theterminals of which are secured to binding posts K projecting from the front side of the shell K.

When the magnet K is energized, the armature K is drawn toward it, overcoming the spring 1 and the member J is then free to move into the position shown in Fig. 4;, which it does under the action of a weight J 2 sliding in the casing J The weight J is connected to the member J by a flexible member or cord J 5 which partially encircles the disk like body of the member J, the latter being provided with a groove J 4 in which the cord J is received. An arm J of the member J engages the bracket Gr to prevent movement of the member J under the infiu ence of theweight J 2 beyond the position shown in Fig. 4. When the magnet winding K is deenergized, the spring I through the follower I, and armature K, presses the member J against the bearing 1 of the disk I with such-force that the member J is rotated with and by the shaft 1 in the direction of the arrow applied to Fig. 1 until the rotation of the member'J in this direction is stopped in the manner in which I will now describe.

The arm J of the member J is provided with a lug J which when the member J is moved into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 2, engages a bridge piece G which is flexibly supported by bowed resilient conducting strips Gr secured to a contact G mounted on an insulating support (i secured to the front of the casing G by the adjustable arm G. The support G13 also has secured to it a contact G and when the arm J engages the bridge piece G it forces the latter to the left from the position shown in Fig. 2 until the contact strips Gr electrically connect the contacts G and G and further movement to the left of the bridge )iece G is prevented. As is clearly shown by Figs. 2 and 2 the contact Gr is rabbeted and has one surface G against which the end of the contact strip G, which is free, contacts, and has another surface G against which the contact strip G secured to the bridge piece G contacts when the circuit is fully closed. The surface G and the contact strip which engages it serve in a well known manner to prevent arcing from taking place between the surface G and the other contact. The frictional coupling between the disk I and the member J then yields to-permit the member J to remain stationary until, the winding K is again energized, without interfering with the rotation of the shaft I which is continuously driven in the .same direction b the constantly running motor H.

At each of the transmitting stations A, a switch mechanism is provided, which serves to connect a corresponding pair of branch conductors 17 and 18 whenever a .carrier isinserted in the transit tubing at that station for transmission. The branch conductors 17 and 18 are connected to conductors 19 and 20, respectively. The conductor 19 is connected to the supply con ductor 2 through the resistance 21, and the conductor 20 is connected to one of the ter minals K of the winding K. The other terminal of the winding K-'- is connected to supply conductor 1 by a conductor 22. The terminals of the motor H are connected to the supply conductors 1 and 2 by conductors 14 and 15, the latter conductor including a suitable resistance 16.

From the foregoing it will be understood that whenever a carrier is inserted at any station A, the winding K is energized and the armature K is moved toward the wind ing to release the member J from its frictional engagement with the disk I and that the member J is then returned to the position shown in Fig. 4, regardless of whether themember J had been previously moved fully into or only part way toward the position' shown in dotted lines Fig. 2. The speed of the motor H is so chosen and the gearing between it and the shaft I is so arranged that the movement of the member J from the position shown in full lines in Fig. 4 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 requires a time interval during which the pump is in operation, amply sufficient to move the carrier last inserted to the end of its journey. Where the invention is used, as in the transmission of mail, in what are known as large tube systems, this interval may be about four minutes. It will of course be apparent that if a second carrier is inserted while a previously inserted carrier is in transit, the member J will be returned, from the intermediate position into which it has'been moved, back to the position shown in Fig. 4. In consequence, when carriers are inserted with sufiicient frequency, the member J may be prevented during long intervals from moving into the dotted line position of Fig. 2, but whenever the period following the insertion of the last carrier is sufficient to permit member J to be moved from the full line position of Fig. 4 into or more accurately slightly beyond the dotted line position of Fig. 2, the contacts G and G are then connected and the motor C is stopped, thus preventing useless expenditure of energy in operating the pump B when there is no need for such operation.

I will not describe in detail the particular mechanism disclosed by which the timing device serves to stop and start the motor C, but I wish it to be understood that any suitable kind of motor starting and stopping mechanism, of which many kinds are now known, may be used, and that the exact trated in Fig. 1 forms no feature of the present invention.

The switch E is carried by the armature or core E of a solenoid magnet, the winding E of which has one terminal connected to the supply conductor 1 by a conductor 10. The other terminal is connected to the contact G by a conductor 11. The contact G is connected by a conductor 12, including a resistance 13, to the supply conductor 2. When the contacts G and G are connected together by the conducting strips or switch members G winding E is energized and switch E is opened and when the contacts G and G are disconnected, winding E is denergized and the switch E drops into the closed position. Attention is called to the fact that while the contacts G and G are closed by the slow movement of the member J, produced by the rotation of the shaft I, the contacts Gand G are disconnected by the rapid movement of the member J, caused by the weight J This rapid movement of the switch connecting contacts G and G has an obvious advantage in preventing injurious sparking between the contact G and the conducting strips G One of the two terminals connected by the switch E when the magnet E is deenergized, is connected by conductor 8, including a resistance 9, to the supply conductor 2. The other terminal of the switch E is connected by conductor 7 to one terminal of the sole noid magnet coil D of the automatic rheostatic controller D. The second terminal of coil D is connected by a conductor 6 to the supply conductor 1. The core or armature D of the coil D is connected by a link D to the switch arm D. The latter travels over a series of contacts D connected by resistance D One terminal of the motor C is connected by conductor 3 to supply conductor 1, and the other terminal of the motor is connected by a conductor 1 to the switch arm D. The upper contact D is connected by a conductor 5 to the supply conductor 2. When the switch E connects the conductors 7 and 8 and the winding D is energized, and the switch arm D is first moved into engagement with the lowermost contact D thus connecting the motor to the supply conductors 1 and 2 through all of the resistance D and then the resistances D are cut out, one after another, as the switch arm D continues tomove upward. A dash pot D, or like retarding device may be connected to the switch arm D to regu late the speed at which the resistances D are cut out.

In'the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive the driving shaft I of the timing mechanism is constantly rotated by the motor H but this is not necessary in all cases and in Fig. 5 I have shown in diagram a portion of a system identical with that of Fig. 1 except that the conductor 15 and resistance 16 are replaced by a conductor 151 connected to one of the terminals controlled by the switch E. In this case the circuit of the motor H includes conductors S, 151 and 1 1 and is closed only when the magnet E is denergized and in consequence the motor H does not run except when it is desired that the motor C should also rotate.

In Fig. 6 I have a system like that of Fig. 1 except that the auxiliary small motor H and circuit connections therefor are dis pensed with and the shaft I is driven by the motor C through suitable connections which, as shown, comprise the shaft M and the meshing gears C and M and M and I gear C being secured to shaft C of motor C, gears M and M to shaft M, and gear I to shaft I. In Fig. 6 the disk K and the electromagnet and the disk I are transposed with respect to the position occupied by these elements relative to the disk J, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4-. Where the rotation of the shaft I is not continuous but intermittent as in Figs. 5 and 6, the arrange ment must of course, be such that the member J will not start to reverse its direction of rotation and thereby permit the breaking of the connection between contacts G and G when the motor driving shaft I is stopped. In the arrangement shown in Figs. 1 to 41' inclusive, the character of the gearing between the shaft I and the motor H and particularly the worm and wheel connection between the shaft I and G is such that while the motor H can rotate shaft I the latter cannot rotate the motor. In Fig. 6 the'friction of the connected mechanisms including the motor C and the air pump B prevents the backward rotation of the member J when the motor C is open circuited.

With the arrangements shown in Figs. 5 and 6 I avoid any waste of current used in driving the timing device when the motor C is not required to operate and with the ar rangement of Fig. 6 I avoid the necessity for any auxiliary motor. I may say however that in general I prefer the arrange ment of Fig. 1 on account of the certainty and reliability of operation obtained thereby.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the timing mechanism disclosed is compact, durable, effective and reliable, and Well adapted for the particular purpose for which it is designed. By operating the timing device electrically I avoid the necessity of providing any tank or tanks for the storage of fluid under pressure such as would be necessary if av fluid pressure timing device were employed and have the advantage of a constant and reliable source of power.

It will be apparent also to those skilled in the art that this timing mechanism is capable of use, either inwhole or in part, in

other relations than the one shown.

The transit system disclosed herein possess patentable features which are not claimed herein, but are claimed in my prior application, Serial Number 509,144, filed July 23rd, 1909 of which the present case is a division.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,

1. A vtiming mechanism comprising rotatable driving and actuating members having cooperating surfaces adapted to be held in frictional engagement whereby the rotation of said driving member tends to rotate said actuating member, a spring for yieldably holding said surfaces in frictional engagement, a stop engaged by the actuating member after a predetermined movement thereof away from an initial position and preventing further movement of said member away from said initial position, electromagnetic means for overcoming the action of the spring and separating said surfaces, and means for returning said actuating member to said initial position when said surfaces are separated.

2. A timing mechanism comprising rotatable driving and actuating members having cooperating surfaces adapted to be held in frictional engagement whereby the rotation of said driving member tends to rotate said actuating member, means normally acting to hold said surfaces in frictional engagement, a stop engaged by the actuating member after a predetermined movement thereof away from an initial position and preventing further movement of said member away from said initial position, intermittently acting means for overcoming the action of the first mentioned means and separating said surfaces, and means for returning said actuating member to said initial position when said surfaces are separated.

3. A timing mechanismcomprising in combination, an electric motor, a casing on which said motor is externally supported and into which the shaft of the motor projects, a second shaft projecting through the casing and provided externally thereof with a friction disk, gearing within the casing connecting said second shaft with the motor shaft, a member loosely journaled exteriorly of the casing coaXially with said second shaft and adapted to engage said friction disk, a spring pressed armature for holding said member against said disk, a magnet supported by the casing and adapted, when energized, to attract said armature and free the member from the disk, a stop limiting the movements of the member with the disk, and a weight for returning the member to an initial position when the magnet is energized. 4. A timing mechanism comprising a motor and actuating member having cooperating surfaces adaptedto be held in frictional engagement whereby the rotation of said motor tends to rotate said actuating member, means normally acting to yieldably hold said surfaces in frictional engagement, a stop engaged byithe actuating member after a predetermined movement thereof away from an initial position and preventing further movement of said member away from said initial position, means adapted to be intermittently actuated for overcoming the action of the first mentioned means and separating said contact surfaces, and means for returning said actuating member to said initial position when said surfaces are separated. L

5. A timing mechanism comprising in combination, a motor, an actuating member, means normally acting to yieldably couple said motor and member together whereby said motor may move said member away from an initial position, a stop engaged by the said member after a predetermined movement of said member away from an initial position and preventing further movement of said actuating member away from said initial position, means adapted to be intermittently actuated for rendering the first mentioned means inoperative, means for returning the actuating member to sai initial position when said first mentioned means are rendered inoperative and controlling mechanism for said motor actuated by said actuating member to stop said motor when said member moves into engagement with said stop and to start said motor when said member returns to said initial position.

BIRNEY C. BATCHELLER. lVitnesses H. W. NEWMAN, ROBERT S. SLoAN. 

